Semiconductor device structures with self-aligned doped regions and methods for forming such semiconductor device structures

ABSTRACT

Semiconductor device structures with self-aligned doped regions and methods for forming such semiconductor device structures. The semiconductor structure comprises first and second doped regions of a first conductivity type defined in the semiconductor material of a substrate bordering a sidewall of a trench. An intervening region of the semiconductor material separates the first and second doped regions. A third doped region is defined in the semiconductor material bordering the sidewall of the trench and disposed between the first and second doped regions. The third doped region is doped to have a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type. Methods for forming the doped regions involve depositing either a layer of a material doped with both dopants or different layers each doped with one of the dopants in the trench and, then, diffusing the dopants from the layer or layers into the semiconductor material bordering the trench sidewall.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to semiconductor device structures and,in particular, to semiconductor device structures with self-aligneddoped regions and methods of forming such semiconductor devicestructures.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices are the most common type ofsemiconductor memory used for data storage and, as a consequence, arefound in many integrated circuit designs. A generic DRAM device includesa plurality of substantially identical semiconductor memory cell arrays,a plurality of bit lines, and a plurality of word lines that intersectthe bit lines. Each memory cell array consists of multiple memory cellsarranged in a matrix of addressable rows and columns. One of the wordlines and one of the bit lines intersects the location of eachindividual memory cell in the memory cell array.

Each individual memory cell includes a storage capacitor for storingdata and a transistor, such as a planar or vertical metal oxidesemiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) or a fin-type fieldeffect transistor (FinFET), serially connected with the storagetransistor. One of the source/drain regions of the field effecttransistor is electrically connected to a corresponding bit line and agate electrode of the field effect transistor is electrically connectedto a corresponding word line. During read and write operations, thefield effect transistor controls the transfer of data charges to andfrom the storage capacitor. Because DRAM devices are volatile and thusleak stored charge, the data charge on the storage capacitor of eachmemory cell is periodically refreshed during a refresh operation.

When a signal routed on a word line activates the field effecttransistor of one of the memory cells, the storage capacitor of theactivated memory cell transfers a data signal to the bit line connectedto the memory cell or a data signal from the bit line to the storagecapacitor of the memory cell. When data stored in one of the memorycells is read onto one of the bit lines, a potential difference isgenerated between the bit line of the respective memory cell and the bitline of another memory cell, which form a bit line pair. A bit linesense amplifier connected to the data line pair senses and amplifies thepotential difference and transfers the data from the selected memorycells to a data line pair.

One goal of memory device designers is to more densely pack memory cellsinto a smaller integrated circuit. Vertical memory cells feature anarchitecture in which the storage capacitor and transistor are stackedvertically in a narrow common trench. Vertical memory cells affordincreased packing densities and other advantages in comparison to planarmemory cells, in which size reduction was realized in the past primarilyby reduction of the minimum lithographic feature size. For example, thepacking density of vertical memory cells in a DRAM device is greaterbecause the channel length of the vertical transistor is not constrainedby lithography and the value of the minimum lithographic feature size.Instead, the channel length of the vertical transistor is determined bythe depth of a recess. Consequently, vertical transistors used in memorycells lack the scaling problems associated with, for example, reducingthe gate-oxide thickness and increasing the channel doping concentrationencountered when scaling planar transistors to smaller sizes.

To provide the shortest possible channel length and highest on-currentof the vertical transistor, for meeting performance objectives, thedepth of the recess that determines channel length should be minimized.However, minimization of channel the channel length of the verticaltransistor requires that short channel effects be addressed. Oneapproach, which has transferred over from planar device technologies,involves forming pocket or halo regions circumscribing the diffusionsdefining the source/drain regions of the vertical transistor. The haloregions are of the opposite conductivity or doping polarity (eitherN-type or P-type) from the source/drain regions, which assists incontrolling source to drain leakage currents between the source/drainregions when the vertical transistor is quiescent or idle (i.e.,switched to an “off” state). In planar device technologies, the haloregions are defined adjacent to the extensions of the source/drainregions by an angled ion implantation that extends into thesemiconductor material beneath the gate electrode. Unfortunately, angledion implantation cannot define analogous halo regions in verticaltransistors because the vertical transistor is formed in a narrowtrench. Because of shadowing effects, the high aspect ratio of thetrench severely limits any halo implantation to a rather steep angle ofincidence. Even if shadowing effects were somehow overcome to permit theuse of angled ion implantation to form halo regions, variations in thetrench diameter across the substrate would hamper process control.

What is needed, therefore, are semiconductor device structures andfabrication methods in which short channel effects are suppressed andother disadvantages of conventional vertical transistor devicestructures and methods of manufacturing such vertical transistor devicestructures are alleviated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, asemiconductor device structure is formed in a trench defined in asubstrate of a semiconductor material by a sidewall extending from a topsurface of the substrate to a base. The semiconductor device structurecomprises a first doped region and a second doped region each defined inthe semiconductor material of the substrate bordering the sidewall ofthe trench, the first and second doped regions having a firstconductivity type and being separated by an intervening region of thesemiconductor material. The semiconductor device structure furthercomprises a third doped region defined in the semiconductor material ofthe substrate bordering the sidewall of the trench. At least a portionof the third doped region is positioned between the first doped regionand the intervening region of the semiconductor material of thesubstrate. The third doped region is doped to have a second conductivitytype opposite to the first conductivity type of the first and seconddoped regions. In certain embodiments of the present invention, thefirst and second doped regions may advantageously comprise first andsecond source/drain regions of a field effect transistor, theintervening region comprises a channel region of the field effecttransistor, and the third doped region comprises a halo region disposedbetween the second source/drain region and the channel region. Inaddition, in some embodiments, a storage capacitor may be formed in thetrench and electrically coupled with the field effect transistor todefine a memory cell.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method isprovided for fabricating a semiconductor device structure in a trenchdefined in a substrate of a semiconductor material by a sidewallextending from a top surface of the substrate to a base. The methodcomprises depositing at least one doped layer in the trench thatincludes a first dopant of a first conductivity type and a second dopantof a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type.The method further comprises diffusing the first and second dopants fromthe at least one doped layer into the semiconductor material borderingat least the sidewall of the trench to form, respectively, a first dopedregion of the first conductivity type and a second doped region of thesecond conductivity type that is self-aligned with the first dopedregion. In a specific embodiment, the first doped region may comprise asource/drain region of a field effect transistor and the second dopedregion may comprise a halo region of the field effect transistor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and,together with a general description of the invention given above and thedetailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explainthe principles of the invention.

FIGS. 1-4 are diagrammatic cross-sectional views of a portion of asubstrate at successive fabrication stages of a processing method inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 5-7 are diagrammatic cross-sectional views of a portion of asubstrate at successive fabrication stages of a processing method inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 8-10 are diagrammatic cross-sectional views of a portion of asubstrate at successive fabrication stages of a processing method inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 11-13 are diagrammatic cross-sectional views of a portion of asubstrate at successive fabrication stages of a processing method inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 14 and 15 are diagrammatic cross-sectional views of a portion of asubstrate at successive fabrication stages of a processing method inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is generally directed to semiconductor structuresand fabrication methods that provide a robust, manufacturable processfor forming pocket or halo regions in a vertical transistor. The presentinvention permits precise self-alignment of doped regions forming haloregions relative to the doped regions forming source/drain regionsand/or source/drain extensions. The present invention overcomes thedeficiencies of angled implantation so that lightly doped drain (LDD)extensions and halo regions may be formed at the upper portion of thevertical transistor channel, as well as the lower portion of a verticaltransistor channel. Generally, the present invention addresses thescalability of the channel length for transistors having verticallyoriented channels, which are commonly used in conjunction with storagecapacitors for controlling the transfer of data charges to and from thestorage capacitor in memory cells but also may be found in othersemiconductor device structures. The present invention will now bedescribed in greater detail by referring to the drawings that accompanythe present application.

For purposes of illustration, certain embodiments of the presentinvention are described in the context of a vertical transistor for usein a memory cell of a DRAM device, such as an embedded DRAM. However,the present invention may be advantageous for use in trench capacitormemory cells employed in other types of integrated circuits such as, forexample, random access memories (RAMs), static RAMs (SRAMs), and readonly memories (ROMs). The present invention, as described, is alsoadvantageous for forming vertical transistors that are not associatedwith a memory cell.

For purposes of description, the invention is described in the contextof forming a single memory cell and/or vertical transistor with theunderstanding that multiple replicas of the memory cell and/or verticaltransistor are formed across the substrate in order to define theintegrated circuit. It is further understood that each of the memorycells and/or vertical transistors includes a structure consistent withthe principles of the invention.

With reference to FIG. 1 and in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention, a storage capacitor 10 is formed by standardfabrication stages as one of a plurality of substantially identicalstorage capacitors distributed across a substrate 12, often with amatrix arrangement. The substrate 12 may be any suitable bulk substrateof semiconductor material that a person having ordinary skill in the artwould recognize as suitable for forming an integrated circuit.Advantageously, substrate 12 may be any type of conventionalmonocrystalline semiconductor substrate, such as the illustrated bulksilicon substrate, or, for example, the active monocrystallinesemiconductor layer of a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate.Alternatively, the substrate 12 may be composed of other semiconductormaterials, such as silicon-germanium.

A pad layer 14 covers a top surface 16 of the substrate 12. Pad layer14, which operates as a hard mask, may be composed of a dielectric suchas silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) formed by a conventional deposition process,such as a thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process or aplasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process. The materialforming pad layer 14 must also etch selectively to the materialconstituting the substrate 12. A comparatively thin pad layer (notshown) of a different dielectric material may be provided between thesubstrate 12 and pad layer 14 to define a layer stack. This optional padlayer, which may be silicon oxide (SiO₂) grown by exposing substrate 12to either a dry oxygen ambient or steam in a heated environment, mayoperate as a buffer layer to prevent any stresses in the thicker padlayer 14 from causing dislocations in the semiconductor material ofsubstrate 12.

Deep trenches, of which deep trench 18 is representative, are formed bya conventional lithography and etching process at locations dispersedacross the surface of substrate 12. The lithography process applies aresist (not shown) on pad layer 14, exposes the resist to a pattern ofradiation to impart a latent deep trench pattern, and develops thelatent deep trench pattern in the exposed resist. The deep trenchpattern is subsequently transferred from the resist to the pad layer 14using the patterned resist as an etch mask for an anisotropic dryetching process, such as a reactive-ion etching (RIE) process or aplasma etching process. After the resist is removed by ashing or solventstripping, the deep trench pattern is transferred from the pad layer 14to the substrate 12 another anisotropic etch process relies on thepatterned pad layer 14 as a hardmask. The etch process removes theconstituent material of the substrate 12 across areas of top surface 16exposed through the deep trench pattern defined in the pad layer 14. Thetotal depth of the deep trench 18 is determined by the desired capacitorspecifications, but has sufficient depth to insure adequate capacitancefor the storage capacitor 10. The deep trench 18 has a sidewall 20 thatencircles the deep trench 18 to define a peripheral boundary of the openspace and extends in a direction substantially perpendicular or verticalto the top surface 16 of the substrate 12. A bottom wall or base 22defines a bottom boundary of the deep trench 18 in the substrate 12.

A buried capacitor plate 24 is present in the semiconductor material ofthe substrate 12 about the deep trench 18 as a heavily doped region.Specifically, the buried capacitor plate 24 borders the sidewall 20 andbase 22 in a lower portion 18 a of the deep trench 18. The buriedcapacitor plate 24 may be heavily doped with, for example, an n-typedopant. Buried plate doping may be formed by a conventional process suchas a high temperature drive-in process that outdiffuses a dopant, suchas the n-type dopant arsenic, from a doped silicate glass layer formedin the lower portion 18 a of deep trench 18 on sidewall 20 and base 22.The glass layer is then capped by a cap layer. After the dopant haspenetrated a suitable distance into the constituent material ofsubstrate 12 to form the buried capacitor plate 24, the cap layer andglass layer are removed in a subsequent etching process (e.g., a wetetch). Other methods of introducing a dopant into the lower portion 18 aof deep trench 18 to form buried capacitor plate 24 include gas phasedoping, liquid phase doping, plasma doping, infusion doping, plasmaimmersion ion implantation, or any combination of these processes thatare familiar to a person having ordinary skill in the art. The buriedcapacitor plate 24 is tied to a reference potential or voltage.

After the buried capacitor plate 24 is defined, a thin node dielectric26 is formed that lines the sidewall 20 and base 22 of the lower portion18 a of the deep trench 18. The node dielectric 26 may be any suitabledielectric material, including but not limited to silicon oxide, siliconnitride, silicon oxynitride, aluminum oxide, combinations of thesedielectric materials, or another high-k material.

A node electrode 28 of storage capacitor 10, which is constituted by aconductor such as doped polycrystalline silicon (i.e., polysilicon),fills the lower portion 18 a of the deep trench 18. The node electrode28 may be composed of, for example, a heavily n-type doped polysilicondeposited by a CVD process. For example, deep trench 18 may be filledwith heavily n-type doped polysilicon, which is planarized with aconventional chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process that stopson the pad layer 14 and is recessed vertically below the exposed surfaceof the pad layer 14 to a depth substantially level with the top surface16 of the substrate 12. The node dielectric 26 separates andelectrically isolates the buried capacitor plate 24 from node electrode28.

An isolation collar 30 is formed above the junction between the buriedcapacitor plate 24 and node electrode 28. The isolation collar 30electrically isolates the storage capacitor 10 from other structuresformed in an upper portion 18 b of the deep trench 18. The isolationcollar 30 may comprise a material as known and used in the artincluding, but not limited to, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, and thelike and may have a thickness of about three (3) nm to about fifty (50)nm.

Above the isolation collar 30, a buried strap 32 is formed in deeptrench 18 that has a top surface that is substantially coplanar with thenode electrode 28. The buried strap 32 electrically bridges the nodeelectrode 28 to the substrate 12. The buried strap 32 may be formed bypartially removing the isolation collar 30 and filling the vacated spacewith a conductor, such as undoped polysilicon or polysilicon that isheavily doped with an n-type dopant to impart n-type conductivity.Thermal diffusion of dopant from the buried strap 32, when it is doped,or from the storage capacitor node electrode 28 when the buried strap 32is not doped, supplies an outdiffusion in the semiconductor materialbounding the deep trench 18 during subsequent processing at elevatedtemperatures, as described below.

With reference to FIG. 2 in which like reference numerals refer to likefeatures in FIG. 1 and at a subsequent fabrication stage, a trench topoxide 34 is then formed atop of the node electrode 28 and the buriedstrap 32. The trench top oxide 34 has a construction that comprises alower doped layer 36 doped with a dopant of a first conductivity typeand an upper doped layer 38 doped with a dopant of a second conductivitytype opposite to the first conductivity type. The lower and upper dopedlayers 36, 38 supply dopant for diffusion into the substrate 12bordering the deep trench 18 during subsequent fabrication stages. Thematerial constituting the lower doped layer 36 may contain an n-typedopant, such as arsenic (As), phosphorous (P), antimony (Sb), if theburied strap 32 has an n-type conductivity. In this instance, thematerial constituting the upper doped layer 38 may contain a p-typedopant, such as boron (B) or indium (In), that has the opposite p-typeconductivity. Of course, the conductivity types may be exchangedcontingent upon the semiconductor device design.

Advantageously, the lower doped layer 36 may comprise arsenic-dopedsilicate glass (ASG). The ASG forming the lower doped layer 36 may bedeposited by a CVD process, such as a high density plasma chemical vapordeposition (HDPCVD) that anisotropically deposits a thicker film onplanar surfaces than on vertical surfaces, like the trench sidewall 20.Any extraneous ASG that deposits on the trench sidewall 20 may beremoved by a wet etch process such as buffered hydrofluoric (BHF), or byan isotropic dry etch process such as chemical dry etch (CDE) orchemical oxide removal (COR). When removing the extraneous ASG, the etchprocess also slightly thins the lower doped layer 36 from its initialthickness, which is permitted because of the significant differences inrelative thickness.

Advantageously, the upper doped layer 38 may comprise boron-dopedsilicate glass (BSG). The BSG forming the upper doped layer 38 may bedeposited by a CVD process, such as HDPCVD. Any extraneous BSG thatdeposits on the trench sidewall 20 may be removed by a wet etch processsuch as BHF, or by an isotropic dry etch process such as CDE or COR. Theetch process also slightly thins the upper doped layer 38 from itsinitial thickness, which is permitted because of the significantdifferences in relative thickness. The trench top oxide 34 may furtherinclude an undoped cap layer 40, which is optional, of a dielectricmaterial such as silicate glass formed by a similar deposition method onthe upper doped layer 38. In exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention, the individual thicknesses of the lower doped layer 36, theupper doped layer 38, and the undoped cap layer 40 each may be aboutfive (5) nm to about twenty (20) nm, contingent upon the dimensions ofdeep trench 18.

The layer stack defined by the lower and upper doped layers 36, 38 andthe optional cap layer 40 may be deposited serially by distinct HDPCVDprocess steps each followed by an etch process to remove extraneousmaterial deposited on the trench sidewall 20. However, in an alternativeembodiment of the present invention, the lower and upper doped layers36, 38 and the optional cap layer 40 may be deposited in a single HDPCVDprocess by sequentially altering the dopant chemistry during depositionto change the dopant at appropriate process times. The extraneous filmsof ASG, BSG, and undoped silicate on trench sidewall 20 may then beconcurrently removed by a single etch process. Extraneous layers 42, 44,46 of the materials forming the layers 36, 38, 40 may be formed on thepad layer 14 when the trench top oxide 34 is formed and are removedduring subsequent fabrication stages.

With reference to FIG. 3 in which like reference numerals refer to likefeatures in FIG. 2 and at a subsequent fabrication stage, the trench topoxide 34 is heated by a suitable thermal anneal process to a temperatureand for a duration effective to cause dopant originating from thematerial constituting the lower doped layer 36 and dopant originatingfrom the constituent material of the upper doped layer 38 to outdiffusebecause of the dopant concentration gradient into the semiconductormaterial of the substrate 12 that bounds the deep trench 18. The samethermal anneal process causes dopant originating from the materialconstituting the node electrode 28 and/or buried strap 32 to alsooutdiffuse because of the dopant concentration gradient into thesemiconductor material of the substrate 12 that bounds the deep trench18. Alternatively, subsequent fabrication stages may heat the substrate12, buried strap 32 and trench top oxide 34 to temperatures and for aduration sufficient to cause outdiffusion.

Specifically, a lower source/drain region 48 of a vertical transistor 54(FIG. 4) is defined by outdiffusion of the dopant (e.g., arsenic) fromthe storage node 28, the lower doped layer 36 of the trench top oxide34, and the buried strap 32, if doped, that extends into thesemiconductor material of the substrate 12 near the deep trench 18. Thelower source/drain region 48 is located between the capacitor 10 and thetop surface 16 and is self-aligned with the buried strap 32 and thelower doped layer 36. In other words, the lower source/drain region 48is disposed at the same, or substantially the same, depth from the topsurface 16 of the substrate 12 as the buried strap 32 and the lowerdoped layer 36. The lower source/drain region 48 may function as eithera source region or a drain region contingent upon the operation of thevertical transistor 54. The node electrode 28 of storage capacitor 10 iscoupled electrically with the lower source/drain region 48 by theconductive bridge supplied by the buried strap 32.

A halo region 50 is defined by outdiffusion of the dopant (e.g., boron)from the upper doped layer 38 of the trench top oxide 34 that extendsinto the semiconductor material of the substrate 12 near the deep trench18. At least a portion of the halo region 50 is disposed verticallybetween lower source/drain region 48 and the top surface 16 of substrate12. The halo region 50 is self-aligned with the upper doped layer 38 inthat the halo region 50 is disposed at the same, or substantially thesame, depth from the top surface 16 of the substrate 12 as the upperdoped layer 38. The outdiffused dopant in the halo region 50 has anopposite conductivity type to the outdiffused dopant forming the lowersource/drain region 48 and partially overlaps the lower source/drainregion 48. The undoped cap layer 40 prevents undesired dopant diffusionto the semiconductor material of substrate 12 bordering the upperportion 18 b of the deep trench 18. The optional thermal treatmentforming the lower source/drain region 48 is also effective for formingthe halo region 50, as potentially are subsequent thermal treatmentsincidental to subsequent fabrication stages.

The lower source/drain region 48 is also self-aligned with the haloregion 50 because of the fixed spatial relationship in deep trench 18between the lower doped layer 36 and the upper doped layer 38 of thetrench top oxide 34 and between the lower and upper doped layers 36, 38and the buried strap 32. The lower and upper doped layers 36, 38 and theburied strap 32, if doped, are formed from materials that include aconcentration of a dopant that is mobile under appropriate thermalannealing conditions and, thus, can diffuse into the semiconductormaterial of the substrate 12 bordering the deep trench 18.

The dopant concentration in the lower doped layer 36 is initially chosento be significantly higher than the dopant concentration in the upperdoped layer 38 so that the upper junction between the overlapping lowersource/drain region 48 and halo region 50 is at the same depth relativeto, or slightly above, a top surface of the upper doped layer 38 of thetrench top oxide 34. This arrangement assists in the subsequentfabrication stages that form the vertical transistor 54 on the trenchsidewall 20. Advantageously, the initial dopant (e.g., arsenic)concentration in the lower doped layer 36 may be in the range of 1×10¹⁹cm⁻³ to 1×10²¹ cm⁻³ and the initial dopant (e.g., boron) concentrationin the upper doped layer 38 may be an order of magnitude or more (i.e.,greater than a factor of 10) lower than the initial dopant concentrationin the lower doped layer 36.

With reference to FIG. 4 in which like reference numerals refer to likefeatures in FIG. 3 and at a subsequent fabrication stage, the verticaltransistor 54 is then fabricated. A vertical gate dielectric 56 isformed on the trench sidewall 20 along the upper portion 18 b of thedeep trench 18. The upper portion 18 b of the deep trench 18 is thenfilled with a conductor, such as doped polysilicon deposited usinglow-pressure CVD (LPCVD), to define a gate electrode 58. A p-type well60 is formed in the semiconductor material of substrate 12 by, forexample, an ion implantation process. An upper source/drain region 62 isformed by doping a surface region of the semiconductor of the substrate12 with a dopant introduced by, for example, an ion implantationprocess. The dopant of the upper source/drain region 62 may comprise ann-type dopant. The undoped cap layer 40, if present, preventscross-doping between the gate electrode 58 and the lower and upper dopedlayers 36, 38. The pad layer 14 and layers 42, 44, 46 are removed andreplaced with a dielectric layer 64 of, for example, silicon dioxide.

A channel region 76 is defined in the semiconductor material ofsubstrate 12 bordering the deep trench 18 near the gate electrode 58.The channel region 76 is disposed between the halo region 50 and theupper source/drain region 62 and, thus, the channel region is anintervening region of the semiconductor material of the substrate 12between the lower and upper source/drain regions 48, 62. The channelregion 76 is not doped by dopant outdiffused from the lower and upperdoped layers 36, 38 nor by the process forming the upper source/drainregion 62. The halo region 50 extends toward the channel region 76 andbeyond an end of the lower source/drain region 48 such that the lowersource/drain region 48 and the halo region 50 are at least partiallynon-overlapping. A portion of the halo region 50 nearest to the topsurface 16 is either doped with only a negligible concentration of thedopant forming the lower source/drain region 48 or is undoped by thedopant forming the lower source/drain region 48.

A wordline 66 is formed to contact the gate electrode 58. Wordline 66may consist of one or more conducting layers constituted by a conductor,such as polysilicon, tungsten nitride (WN), tungsten (W), tungstensilicide (WSi₂), or layered combinations of these materials.Electrically-insulating sidewall spacers 72, 74 of, for example, siliconnitride are formed that flank the conducting layer(s) of the word line66. A bitline contact 68, which is formed by standard lithography andetching processes, extends through a dielectric layer 64 to contact theupper source/drain region 62. The bitline contact 68 consists of aconductive material, such as a metal or doped polysilicon. For example,the bitline contact 68 may be formed by a conventional lithography andetching process. The lithography process deposits a resist on dielectriclayer 64 and patterns the resist to form a bitline contact pattern. Inthe subsequent etching process, the unmasked regions of the dielectriclayer 64 are etched with an etchant that removes the constituentdielectric material of layer 64 selective to the constituentsemiconductor material of substrate 12 to form vias extending to thesource/drain region 62. After removing the resist by ashing or solventstripping, a layer of a conductive material suitable for forming contact68 is deposited and planarized with a conventional process, such as aCMP process, to the top of the dielectric layer 64.

The storage capacitor 10 and the vertical transistor 54 collectivelydefine a memory cell 70. Numerous other memory cells (not shown), eachsubstantially identical to memory cell 70 are fabricated simultaneouslywith memory cell 70 and are distributed across substrate 12. Memory cell70 is isolated from other adjacent memory cells (not shown) by deviceisolation regions (not shown), such as dielectric-filled shallow trenchisolation regions.

In use, application of an appropriate voltage to the gate electrode 58switches the vertical transistor 54 on, enabling current to flow throughthe channel region 76 defined in the material of the substrate 12between the source/drain regions 48, 62 to form an electrical connectionbetween the storage capacitor 10 and the bitline contact 68. Switchingoff the vertical transistor 54 breaks this connection by preventingcurrent flow through the channel region 76 between the source/drainregions 48, 62. The halo region 50, which has the opposite dopingpolarity of the lower source/drain region 48, assists in controllingsource to drain leakage currents between the source/drain regions 48, 62when the vertical transistor 54 is quiescent or idle (i.e., switched toan “off” state). As a result, the halo region 50 is effective formitigating short-channel effects in the vertical transistor 54.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, a trench topoxide may comprise a single doped layer of a material that contains twodopants of opposite conductivity types. One of the dopants is thermallyoutdiffused into the semiconductor material of the substrate 12bordering the deep trench 18 to cooperate with outdiffused dopant fromthe buried strap 32 to form a lower source/drain region analogous tolower source/drain region 48 (FIG. 3). The other of the dopants isthermally outdiffused to form a halo region analogous to halo region 50(FIG. 3).

With reference to FIG. 5 in which like reference numerals refer to likefeatures in FIG. 1 and in accordance with this alternative embodiment, atrench top oxide 78 is formed atop of the node electrode 28 and theburied strap 32. The trench top oxide 78 includes a doped layer 80 of adielectric material containing first and second dopants of differentconductivity types. More specifically, the doped layer 80 may comprise aborophosphosilicate glass (BPSG), which has a composition that containsboron as a p-type dopant and phosphorus as an n-type dopant, that isdeposited on the buried strap 32 and the node electrode 28 by anysuitable process (i.e., HDPCVD). The dopant concentrations in the dopedlayer 80 of the trench top oxide 78 are selected such that thephosphorus concentration in the composition is significantly higher thanthe boron concentration. Advantageously, the phosphorus concentration inthe material constituting the doped layer 80 may be in the range of1×10¹⁹ cm⁻³ to 1×10²¹ cm⁻³ and the boron concentration may be one orderof magnitude or more lower than the phosphorus concentration.Alternatively, the doped layer 80 may be composed of a dielectric, suchas an oxide, with a composition containing boron and arsenic in anappropriate concentration and proportion. The optional undoped cap layer40 may comprise oxide, nitride, and/or oxynitride deposited in deeptrench 18 atop the doped layer 80. When layers 40, 80 are formed,extraneous layers 86, 87 of the materials forming the layers 40, 80 maybe formed on the pad layer 14 and are removed during subsequentfabrication stages.

With reference to FIG. 6 in which like reference numerals refer to likefeatures in FIG. 5 and at a subsequent fabrication stage, the dopants inthe doped layer 80 are thermally diffused from the trench top oxide 78into the semiconductor material of the substrate 12 bordering thesidewall 20 of deep trench 18. Advantageously, the dopants havedifferent diffusion coefficients in the constituent semiconductormaterial of substrate 12 such that a first dopant from the two dopantsdiffuses a greater distance from the doped layer 80 into thesemiconductor material than the second dopant. The faster diffusingdopant defines a halo region 82 in the semiconductor material ofsubstrate 12 adjacent to the trench top oxide 78.

Circumscribed by the halo region 82 is a lower source/drain region 84containing both diffused dopants but the concentration of the slowerdiffusing dopant is significantly higher than the concentration of thefaster diffusing dopant. The difference in dopant concentrations issufficient such that the net doping of the first and second dopants inthe lower source/drain region 84 provides the lower source/drain region84 with an opposite conductivity to the halo region 82. The dopantconcentration, thickness of doped layer 80, and the thermal process aredesigned such that the electrical junction between the halo region 82and the lower source/drain region 84 is at, or slightly, above the topsurface of the trench top oxide 78. The undoped cap layer 40, ifpresent, prevents undesired dopant diffusion from the doped layer 80 tosemiconductor material of substrate 12 bordering the upper portion 18 bof the deep trench 18.

Specifically, if the doped layer 80 is composed of BPSG containing boronand phosphorus, boron in the BPSG of doped layer 80 serves as a dopantsource for the thermal outdiffusion forming the halo region 82.Phosphorus in the BPSG composing doped layer 80 serves as a dopantsource for the thermal outdiffusion forming the lower source/drainregion 84. If the substrate 12 is silicon, boron is known by a personhaving ordinary skill in the art to diffuse faster than phosphorus in amatrix of silicon. In this instance, the faster diffusing boron from theBPSG in the doped layer 80 defines the halo region 82 (which is borondoped) in the semiconductor material of substrate 12 adjacent to thetrench top oxide 78. The lower source/drain region 84, which iscircumscribed by and self-aligned with the halo region 82, contains bothboron and phosphorus but the concentration of phosphorus issignificantly higher than the boron concentration so that the net dopingprovides a conductivity (n-type) that is opposite to the conductivity(i.e., p-type) of the halo region 82.

The halo region 82 and the lower source/drain region 84 are self-alignedwith the doped layer 80 because the respective dopants each diffuse intothe semiconductor material of substrate 12 from the doped layer 80. Inother words, the halo region 82 and lower source/drain region 84 aredisposed at the same, or substantially the same, depth from the topsurface 16 of the substrate 12 as the doped layer 80. Because bothdopants of opposite conductivity type originate from the same source(i.e., the doped layer 80), the halo region 82 and lower source/drainregion 84 are also self-aligned with each other. Although self-aligned,the effect of the difference in diffusion coefficient or diffusivity ofthe dopants is that the lower source/drain region 84 and the halo region82 are at least partially non-overlapping and, hence, the halo region 82created by the dopant with the higher diffusivity circumscribes thelower source/drain region 84 created by the dopant of lower diffusivity.

With reference to FIG. 7 in which like reference numerals refer to likefeatures in FIG. 6 and at a subsequent fabrication stage, thefabrication of a vertical transistor 88 in deep trench 18 is completedwith process analogous to those described above with regard to verticaltransistor 54 (FIG. 4), including forming the upper source/drain region62. At least a portion of the halo region 82 is disposed between thelower source/drain region 84 and the upper source/drain region 62 and,therefore, between the lower source/drain region 84 and the channelregion 76. The p-type well 60, the dielectric layer 64, the wordline 66,the sidewall spacers 72, 74, and the bitline contact 68 are also formedas described above with regard to FIG. 4.

In another alternative embodiment of the present invention, aself-aligned halo region, which is analogous to halo region 50 (FIG. 3),may be formed in a vertical transistor that is not associated with amemory cell. In particular, the halo region may be formed using a dopedlayer stack similar to the trench top oxide 34 described above withregard to FIGS. 1-4. The halo region is self-aligned with a lowersource/drain region of the vertical transistor.

With reference to FIG. 8 in which like reference numerals refer to likefeatures in FIG. 1 and in accordance with this alternative embodiment,trenches, of which a trench 90 is representative, are formed in thesemiconductor substrate 12 by a conventional lithography and etchingprocess. The lithography process applies a resist (not shown) on padlayer 14, exposes the resist to a pattern of radiation to impart alatent trench pattern, and develops the latent trench pattern in theexposed resist. The trench pattern is transferred from the resist to thepad layer 14 using the patterned resist as an etch mask for ananisotropic dry etching process, such as an RIE process or a plasmaetching process. After the resist is stripped, the trench pattern istransferred from the pad layer 14 to the substrate 12 using thepatterned pad layer 14 as a hardmask for another anisotropic etchprocess that selectively removes the constituent material of thesubstrate 12 across unmasked areas of top surface 16. The trench 90 hasa sidewall 92 that encircles the trench 90 to define a peripheralboundary and extends in a direction substantially perpendicular orvertical to the top surface 16 of the substrate 12. A bottom wall orbase 94 defines a bottom boundary of the trench 90 in the substrate 12and is intersected by the sidewall 92.

A lower doped layer 96 of the layer stack 95 is deposited in the trench90 and is coextensive with the base 94. An upper doped layer 98 of thelayer stack 95 is deposited in the trench 90 and is coextensive with thelower doped layer 96. The characteristics of the lower and upper dopedlayers 96, 98 are substantially similar or identical to thecharacteristics of the lower and upper doped layers 36, 38, as describedabove with regard to FIG. 2. An optional undoped cap layer 100,analogous to cap layer 40 (FIG. 2), may be applied on the upper dopedlayer 98. Extraneous layers 103, 105, 107 of the materials forming thelayers 96, 98, 100 may be formed on the pad layer 14 when layers 96, 98,100 are formed.

With reference to FIG. 9 in which like reference numerals refer to likefeatures in FIG. 8 and at a subsequent fabrication stage, a lowersource/drain region 102 of a vertical transistor 106 (FIG. 10) is formedin the semiconductor material of the substrate 12 bounding the sidewall92 of trench 90 by outdiffusion of dopant (e.g., arsenic) originatingfrom the lower doped layer 96 of layer stack 95. Similarly, a haloregion 104 of the vertical transistor 106 is formed in the semiconductormaterial of the substrate 12 near the sidewall 92 of trench 90 byoutdiffusion of dopant (e.g., boron) originating from the upper dopedlayer 98 of layer stack 95. The dopant outdiffusion is driven by athermal anneal at a sufficient temperature and sufficient duration andalso by dopant concentration gradients. Alternatively, subsequentfabrication stages may heat the substrate 12 and the upper and lowerdoped layers 96, 98 to a temperature and for a duration sufficient tocause the requisite outdiffusion.

At least a portion of the halo region 104 is disposed vertically betweenlower source/drain region 102 and the top surface 16 of substrate 12.The halo region 104 is self-aligned with the upper doped layer 98 inthat the halo region 104 is disposed at the same, or substantially thesame, depth from the top surface 16 of the substrate 12 as the upperdoped layer 98. Similarly, the lower source/drain region 102 isself-aligned with the lower doped layer 96 such that the lowersource/drain region 102 is disposed at the same, or substantially thesame, depth from the top surface 16 of the substrate 12 as the lowerdoped layer 96. Because of the spatial relationship between the lowerand upper doped layers 96, 98, the lower source/drain region 102 andhalo region 104 are self-aligned with each other. The lower source/drainregion 102 and halo region 104 also extend in the semiconductor materialof substrate 12 below the base 94 of the trench 90, as well as laterallyof the sidewall 92, and are at least partially non-overlapping so that aportion of the halo region 104 nearest to the top surface 16 is dopedwith a negligible amount of the dopant forming the lower source/drainregion 102 or is undoped by the dopant forming the lower source/drainregion 102.

The dopant concentration in the lower doped layer 96 is initially chosento be significantly higher than the dopant concentration in the upperdoped layer 98 so that the upper junction between the overlapping lowersource/drain region 102 and halo region 104 is at the same depthrelative to, or slightly above, a top surface of the trench top oxide95. This arrangement assists in the subsequent fabrication stages thatform the vertical transistor 106 (FIG. 10). Advantageously, the initialdopant (e.g., arsenic) concentration in the lower doped layer 96 may bein the range of 1×10¹⁹ cm⁻³ to 1×10²¹ cm⁻³ and the initial dopant (e.g.,boron) concentration in the upper doped layer 98 may be an order ofmagnitude or more (i.e., greater than a factor of 10) lower than theinitial dopant concentration in the lower doped layer 96.

With reference to FIG. 10 in which like reference numerals refer to likefeatures in FIG. 9 and at a subsequent fabrication stage, thefabrication of the vertical transistor 106 in trench 90 is completed asdescribed above with regard to vertical transistor 54 (FIG. 4),including forming the upper source/drain region 62. The p-type well 60,the dielectric layer 64, the wordline 66, the sidewall spacers 72, 74,and the bitline contact 68 are also formed as described above withregard to FIG. 4. A channel region 108 is defined in the semiconductormaterial of substrate 12 bordering the trench 90 near the gate electrode58. The channel region 108 is disposed between the upper source/drainregion 62 and the halo region 104 and, thus, is disposed as anintervening region of the semiconductor material of substrate 12 betweenthe upper and lower source/drain regions 62, 102. The channel region 108is not doped by dopant outdiffused from the lower and upper doped layers96, 98 nor by the process forming the upper source/drain region 62.

In another alternative embodiment of the present invention, aself-aligned halo region, which is analogous to halo region 82 (FIG. 6),may be formed in a vertical transistor that is not associated with amemory cell. In particular, the halo region may be formed using a layerstack that comprises a single doped layer of a material containing twodopants of opposite conductivity types and is similar in construction tothe trench top oxide 78 described above with regard to FIGS. 5-7.

With reference to FIG. 11 in which like reference numerals refer to likefeatures in FIG. 8 and in accordance with this alternative embodiment,the doped layer 112 is composed of a material containing a p-type dopantand further containing an n-type dopant, as described above with regardto doped layer 80 (FIGS. 5-7), is deposited in trench 90. An optionalundoped cap layer 114 of the layer stack 110, which is analogous to caplayer 40 (FIGS. 5-7) is deposited atop the doped layer 112. Extraneouslayers 116, 118 of the materials forming layers 112, 114 may be formedon the pad layer 14 when layers 116, 118 are formed.

With reference to FIG. 12 in which like reference numerals refer to likefeatures in FIG. 11 and at a subsequent fabrication stage, the dopantsin the doped layer 112 are thermally diffused into the semiconductormaterial of the substrate 12 bordering the sidewall 92 of trench 90 toform a halo region 120 and a lower source/drain region 122, as describedabove with regard to halo region 82 and lower source/drain region 84(FIG. 6). The dopant outdiffusion is driven by a thermal anneal at asufficient temperature and duration and by the dopant concentrationgradients. Alternatively, subsequent fabrication stages may heat thesubstrate 12 and doped layer 112 to a temperature and for a durationsufficient to cause the requisite outdiffusion.

The halo region 120 and the lower source/drain region 122 areself-aligned with the doped layer 112 because the respective dopantseach diffuse into the semiconductor material of substrate 12 from thedoped layer 112. In other words, the halo region 120 and lowersource/drain region 122 are disposed at the same, or substantially thesame, depth from the top surface 16 of the substrate 12 as the dopedlayer 112. Because both dopants originate from the doped layer 112, thehalo region 120 and lower source/drain region 122 are also self-alignedwith each other. The halo region 120 and lower source/drain region 122also extend in the semiconductor material of substrate 12 below the base94 of the trench 90, as well as laterally of the sidewall 92. A portionof the halo region 102 is either undoped by the dopant of the lowersource/drain region 122 or contains a negligible concentration of thedopant of the lower source/drain region 122.

With reference to FIG. 13 in which like reference numerals refer to likefeatures in FIG. 12 and at a subsequent fabrication stage, thefabrication of a vertical transistor 124 in trench 90 is completed asdescribed above with regard to vertical transistor 54 (FIG. 4),including forming the upper source/drain region 62. At least a portionof the halo region 120 is disposed between the lower source/drain region122 and the upper source/drain region 62 and, therefore, between thelower source/drain region 122 and the channel region 108. The p-typewell 60, the dielectric layer 64, the wordline 66, the sidewall spacers72, 74, and the bitline contact 68 are also formed as described abovewith regard to FIG. 4.

In yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention, asource/drain extension and a second self-aligned halo region may beformed proximate to an upper source/drain region of a verticaltransistor having the self-aligned halo region and lower source drainregion. This alternative embodiment of the present invention appliesequally to the embodiments with vertical transistor 54 (FIG. 4),vertical transistor 88 (FIG. 7), vertical transistor 106 (FIG. 10), andvertical transistor 124 (FIG. 12), but is illustrated in conjunctionwith a vertical transistor similar to vertical transistor 106.

With reference to FIG. 14 in which like reference numerals refer to likefeatures in FIG. 9 and at a subsequent fabrication stage, the gatedielectric 56 and gate electrode 58 of a vertical transistor 146 (FIG.15) are formed as described above with regard to FIG. 5. The conductorof the gate electrode 58 is recessed slightly relative to the gatedielectric 56 by, for example, an RIE process selective to thedielectric material of the gate dielectric 56. Advantageously, a topsurface of the recessed gate electrode 58 is approximately level withthe upper source/drain region 62.

A source/drain extension 130 for the upper source/drain region 62 isdefined in the semiconductor material of substrate 12 near the recessedtop of the gate electrode 56 by an angled implantation of ions 125. Theions 125 penetrate through the sidewall 92 of trench 90 across the spacein trench 90 above the recessed gate electrode 56. The conductivitytypes of the source/drain extension 130 and the upper source/drainregion 60 are identical and the same as the lower source drain region84. For example, the ions 125 may comprise n-type dopant (e.g., arsenic,phosphorus, or antimony) implanted at energies in the range of about 30keV to about 70 keV and at a dose of about 1×10¹⁴ cm⁻² to about 1×10¹⁵cm⁻² to form the source/drain extension 130 of an n-channel verticaltransistor 146. Similarly, for a P-channel vertical transistor 146, theions 125 may comprise a p-type dopant (e.g., boron or indium) implantedat a suitable energy and dose for forming the source/drain extension130.

A halo region 132 for the upper source/drain region 62 is defined in thesemiconductor material of substrate 12 near the recessed top of the gateelectrode 56 by an angled implantation of ions 126. The ions 126penetrate through the sidewall 92 of trench 90 across the space intrench 90 above the recessed gate electrode 56. For example, the ions126 may comprise a p-type dopant (e.g., boron or indium) implanted at anenergy in the range of about 10 keV to about 50 keV and at a dose ofabout 1×10¹² cm⁻² to about 1×10¹⁴ cm⁻² for forming the halo region 132of an N-channel vertical transistor 106. Similarly, for a P-channelvertical transistor 106, the ions 126 may comprise an n-type dopant(e.g., arsenic, phosphorus, or antimony) implanted at a suitable energyand dose for forming the halo region 132. In any event, the dopant ofthe halo region 132 has an opposite conductivity type than the dopant ofthe upper source/drain region 62 and source/drain extension 130. Thehalo region 132 extends toward the channel region 108 beyond an end ofthe source/drain extension 130.

The ions 125, 126 penetrate through the sidewall 92 of trench 90 acrossthe space in trench 90 above the recessed gate electrode 56. Theincident angle of the ions 125, 126, which is measured from vertical,may be in a range of approximately 20° to approximately 60° degrees,which is contingent among other factors upon the dimensions of thetrench 90. Optionally, the angled implantations of ions 125, 126 may befollowed by a thermal anneal at a substrate temperature of, for example,900° C. to 1000° C. to activate and distribute the dopants in thesource/drain extension 130 and halo region 132.

The source/drain extension 130 and halo region 132 are self-aligned witheach other. The invention contemplates that the source/drain extension130 and halo region 132 may be used in conjunction with the halo region104 associated with the lower source/drain region 102. Alternatively,the source/drain extension 130 and halo region 132 may be advantageousfor certain semiconductor device structures in the absence of haloregion 104.

With reference to FIG. 15 in which like reference numerals refer to likefeatures in FIG. 14 and at a subsequent fabrication stage, spacers 140,142 are formed using conventional processing steps. The spacers 140, 142may comprise any appropriate insulating material, such as, for example,oxide or nitride formed by a conventional technique, such as conformaldeposition using a CVD process of an insulating layer followed by ananisotropic RIE process. After spacers 140, 142 are formed, a contact144 of a conductive material, such as a metal like tungsten or tantalum,a silicide, a metallic nitride, or doped polysilicon, or combinations ofthese materials, is deposited to fill the open space between the spacers140, 142 above the recessed gate electrode 56. Extraneous conductivematerial is removed by a conventional planarization process, such as aCMP process, to a make a top surface of the contact 144 substantiallycoplanar with a top surface of the dielectric layer 64. An optionaldiffusion barrier liner (not shown) of a suitable conductive materialmay be deposited before deposition of the conductive material of contact144.

The fabrication of vertical transistor 146 in trench 90 is completed, asdescribed above with regard to vertical transistor 54 (FIG. 4),including forming the upper source/drain region 62. The source/drainextension 130 and halo region 132 extend into the channel region 108 ofthe vertical transistor 146 between the upper and lower source/drainregions 62, 102, which is effectively shortened by the source/drainextension 130 and halo region 132. The p-type well 60, the dielectriclayer 64, the wordline 66, the sidewall spacers 72, 74, and the bitlinecontact 68 are also formed as described above with regard to FIG. 4.

References herein to terms such as “vertical”, “horizontal”, etc. aremade by way of example, and not by way of limitation, to establish aframe of reference. The term “horizontal” as used herein is defined as aplane parallel to the top surface 16, regardless of its actualthree-dimensional spatial orientation. The term “vertical” refers to adirection perpendicular to the horizontal, as just defined. Terms, suchas “on”, “above”, “below”, “side” (as in “sidewall”), “higher”, “lower”,“over”, “beneath” and “under”, are defined with respect to thehorizontal plane. It is understood that various other frames ofreference may be employed for describing the present invention withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The fabrication of the semiconductor structure herein has been describedby a specific order of fabrication stages and steps. However, it isunderstood that the order may differ from that described. For example,the order of two or more fabrication steps may be switched relative tothe order shown. Moreover, two or more fabrication steps may beconducted either concurrently or with partial concurrence. In addition,various fabrication steps may be omitted and other fabrication steps maybe added. It is understood that all such variations are within the scopeof the present invention. It is also understood that features of thepresent invention are not necessarily shown to scale in the drawings.

While the present invention has been illustrated by a description ofvarious embodiments and while these embodiments have been described inconsiderable detail, it is not the intention of the applicants torestrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to suchdetail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear tothose skilled in the art. Thus, the invention in its broader aspects istherefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatusand method, and illustrative example shown and described. Accordingly,departures may be made from such details without departing from thespirit or scope of applicants' general inventive concept.

1. A semiconductor device structure formed in a trench defined in asubstrate of a semiconductor material by a sidewall extending from a topsurface of the substrate to a base, the semiconductor device structurecomprising: a first doped region and a second doped region each definedin the semiconductor material of the substrate bordering the sidewall ofthe trench, the first and second doped regions having a firstconductivity type and being separated by an intervening region of thesemiconductor material of the substrate; and a third doped regiondefined in the semiconductor material of the substrate bordering thesidewall of the trench, at least a portion of the third doped regionpositioned between the first doped region and the intervening region,and the third doped region doped to have a second conductivity typeopposite to the first conductivity type of the first and second dopedregions.
 2. The semiconductor device structure of claim 1 wherein thefirst and second doped regions comprise first and second source/drainregions of a field effect transistor, the third doped region comprises afirst halo region of the field effect transistor, and the interveningregion comprises a channel region of the field effect transistor, andfurther comprising: a gate electrode disposed in an upper portion of thetrench juxtaposed with the channel region and extending in the trenchbetween the first and second source/drain regions in the semiconductormaterial of the substrate.
 3. The semiconductor device structure ofclaim 2 further comprising: a storage capacitor including a storage nodeof a conductive material disposed in a lower portion of the trench, thestorage node electrically connected with the first source/drain region;and a conductive contact electrically connected with the secondsource/drain region.
 4. The semiconductor device structure of claim 2wherein the first halo region is self-aligned with the firstsource/drain region.
 5. The semiconductor device structure of claim 2further comprising: a second halo region defined in the semiconductormaterial of the substrate bordering the sidewall of the trench andpositioned between the second source/drain region and the channelregion, the second halo region doped to have the second conductivitytype.
 6. The semiconductor device structure of claim 5 furthercomprising: a source/drain extension defined in the semiconductormaterial of the substrate bordering the sidewall of the trench andpositioned between the second halo region and the channel region, thesource/drain extension doped to have the first conductivity type.
 7. Thesemiconductor device structure of claim 1 wherein the third doped regionis self-aligned with the first doped region.
 8. The semiconductor devicestructure of claim 7 further comprising: a doped layer disposed in thetrench, the doped layer comprising a first dopant having the firstconductivity type and a second dopant having the second conductivitytype, and the first and third doped regions are self-aligned with thedoped layer.
 9. The semiconductor device structure of claim 8 whereinthe third doped region circumscribes the first doped region.
 10. Thesemiconductor device structure of claim 8 further comprising: an undopedlayer of an undoped material disposed in the trench between the dopedlayer and the top surface.
 11. The semiconductor device structure ofclaim 7 further comprising: a first doped layer disposed in the trench,the first doped layer comprising a dopant having the first conductivitytype, and the first doped region being self-aligned with the first dopedlayer; and a second doped layer disposed in the trench between the firstdoped layer and the top surface, the second doped layer comprising adopant having the second conductivity type, and the third doped regionbeing self-aligned with the second doped layer.
 12. The semiconductordevice structure of claim 11 wherein the first and second doped regionspartially overlap to define a junction positioned near a top surface ofthe second doped layer.
 13. The semiconductor device structure of claim11 further comprising: a third layer of an undoped material disposed inthe trench between the second doped layer and the top surface.
 14. Thesemiconductor device structure of claim 1 wherein the first conductivitytype is n-type and the second conductivity type is p-type.
 15. A methodof fabricating a semiconductor device structure in a trench defined in asubstrate of a semiconductor material by a sidewall extending from a topsurface of the substrate to a base, the method comprising: depositing atleast one doped layer in the trench that includes a first dopant of afirst conductivity type and a second dopant of a second conductivitytype opposite to the first conductivity type; and diffusing the firstand second dopants from the at least one doped layer into thesemiconductor material bordering at least the sidewall of the trench toform, respectively, a first doped region of the first conductivity typeand a second doped region of the second conductivity type that isself-aligned with the first doped region.
 16. The method of claim 15wherein depositing the at least one doped layer in the trench furthercomprises: depositing a first layer of a doped material that includesthe first and second dopants.
 17. The method of claim 16 whereindiffusing the first and second dopants further comprises: thermallyannealing the substrate to diffuse the first dopant from the dopedmaterial of the first layer into the semiconductor material bounding atleast the sidewall of the trench to form the first region and to diffusethe second dopant from the doped material of the first layer into thesemiconductor material bounding at least the sidewall of the trench toform the second doped regions.
 18. The method of claim 15 whereindepositing the at least one layer in the trench further comprises:depositing a first doped layer of a first doped material in the trenchthat includes the first dopant; and depositing, in the trench betweenthe first doped layer and the top surface, a second doped layer of asecond doped material that includes the second dopant.
 19. The method ofclaim 18 wherein diffusing the first and second dopants furthercomprises: thermally annealing the substrate to diffuse the first dopantfrom the first doped material in the first doped layer into thesemiconductor material bounding at least the sidewall of the trench toform the first doped region and the second dopant from the second dopedmaterial in the second doped layer into the semiconductor materialbounding at least the sidewall of the trench to form the second dopedregion.
 20. The method of claim 15 wherein depositing the at least onelayer in the trench further comprises: depositing, in the trench betweenthe at least one doped layer and the top surface, a layer of an undopedmaterial on the at least one doped layer to cap the at least one dopedlayer before diffusing the first and second dopants.
 21. The method ofclaim 15 wherein the first doped region comprises a source/drain regionof a field effect transistor and the second doped region comprises ahalo region of the field effect transistor, and further comprising:forming a capacitor in the trench that is electrically connected withthe source/drain region.
 22. The method of claim 15 further comprising:depositing a conductor in the trench; recessing the conductor topartially expose the sidewall of the trench near the top surface; andimplanting ions of the second conductivity type through the partiallyexposed sidewall and into the semiconductor layer to define a thirddoped region of the second conductivity type.
 23. The method of claim 15further comprising: depositing a conductor in the trench; recessing theconductor to partially expose the sidewall of the trench near the topsurface; and implanting ions of the first conductivity type through thepartially exposed sidewall and into the semiconductor layer to define athird doped region of the first conductivity type.
 24. The method ofclaim 23 further comprising: implanting ions of the second conductivitytype through the partially exposed sidewall and into the semiconductorlayer to define a fourth doped region of the second conductivity typethat extends a greater distance into the substrate from the sidewallthan the third doped region.